Hikers, trail runners and nature lovers are petitioning the government to halt a “disastrous” use of plastic in the construction of countryside trails. The authorities, in turn, have insisted that wood plastic composite (WPC) is environmentally-friendly.
Petition signatories stated they were “astonished” to see that a plan for Lantau Island’s new, 100 kilometre round-the-island trail, involved the use of “massive amounts” of WPC for step frames and railings.
“Plastic wood is a synthetic composite material made of plastic and wood chips. It is by no means environmentally friendly and applying it at that scale in the rural environment will only bring about disastrous outcomes including plastic pollution, not to mention setting a very bad example damaging Hong Kong’s reputation and efforts on environmental sustainability,” the petition – organised by the Concern Group on Concretization of Hong Kong Natural Trails – read.
See also: The campaign to prevent Hong Kong’s nature trails from being paved over
The concern group claimed that an August 2023 study by the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) was “biased and incomplete,” in that it failed to consider the benefits of natural resources.
“The document demonstrates the lack of basic understanding of nature and trail sustainability, materials and methods on the part of the consultant company,” according to the petition.
The bilingual petition urged the authorities to consider the use of natural “eco-trail” materials, and abandon the over-deployment of handrails. It was addressed to the Secretary for Development Secretary for Culture, the Sports and Tourism Director of Civil Engineering, and the Development Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation.
Plastic method green and fast, claims gov’t
When approached by HKFP, a spokesperson for the CEDD said last week that they understood the use of natural materials was popular.
“However, natural materials such as boulders and processed felled tree logs are relatively heavy and irregular, significant pre-processing is usually required resulting in longer construction time,” the spokesperson said.
They added that, following last year’s study, WPC had been approved for use in two priority sections of Tai O Fu Shan’s hiking trails and in northeast Lantau. The composite had also been used in other lower-priority sections. “At present, there is no programme to implement the improvement works to the other sections,” the CEDD said.
Citing the study, the department claimed that the WPC step frame modules are “environmentally friendly, of high durability in outdoor environments and could be recycled, which are in line with the principle of sustainability.”
In response, concern group member Teddy Law told HKFP on Monday that the plastic materials were liable to break down and cause pollution.
“It’d be difficult and costly to collect the damaged parts from the countryside for recycling,” Law said, adding that Hong Kong’s first and only WPC manufacturer had recently relocated its factory to mainland China, according to The Collective.
“There’s no guarantee that the damaged parts can be properly dealt with and recycled. It’s hard to understand why the CEDD would put such environmental risks in the first place with all those uncertainties,” Law continued.
Law said that work with the plastic materials was continuing on Lantau last week, despite claims construction had been completed.
When HKFP asked the CEDD whether there were concerns over the long-term disintegration of the plastic frames, a spokesperson largely repeated their earlier email, stating again on Friday that the blocks were “recyclable.”
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